Apparatus for loading lamp parts



y 1961 R. A. OVACEK ETA]. 2,984,385

APPARATUS FOR LOADING LAMP PARTS Filed Aug. 1, 1958 lnven tofs'. Richard A.Ovace| Alexander- H. Mi lrcheLt, b Mg Their A lrtofnea APPARATUS FOR LOADING LAMP PARTS Richard A. Ovacek, Bedford, and Alexander H. Mitchell, Euclid, Ohio, assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed Aug. 1, 1958, Ser. No. 752,539

6 Claims. (Cl. 221-93) This invention relates to loading apparatus for the manufacture of lamps and more particularly to apparatus for locating and dispensing lamp ferrules at one of the work stations of automatic equipment used in the manufacture of electric lamps.

In the manufacture of certain electric lamps, particularly those of the type having a reflector portion at the back of the lamp envelope, the lamp design requires hollow or cup-shaped metallic ferrules to be fused into the rear of the reflector for supporting the internal heavy filament leads and external electrical contact lugs. As the reflector passes from station-to-station in manufacture, the metallic ferrules must be accurately positioned on the lamp part at one of the work stations for subsequent heat fusing into the vitreous surface of the part.

The hollow or cup shape of the ferrule provides a sharp edge making it possible to fuse the metal to the vitreous reflector by heat to give an airtight seal. However, the cup shape of the ferrules, the fact that the ferrules have a tendency to stick or telescope together, the thin lightweight metal from which the ferrules are formed, and the sharp edges corresponding to the lip of a cup, all make it diflicult to grasp and orient the individual ferrules for assembly on the reflector by means of automatic machinery. These difliculties are overcome by the apparatus of the instant invention which is so designed as to grip individual ferrules from a stack and position them on the lamp part.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a new and improved loading apparatus for loading or dispensing metallic contact ferrules onto a reflector or other part of a lamp as one of the steps in manufacture of the lamp.

It is another object of the invention to provide apparatus useful in the manufacture of lamps with automatic equipment for accurately positioning both the reflector lamp part and metallic contact ferrules with respect to each other so that the ferrules may be loaded onto the lamp reflector or other lamp part in a short time interval at a single work station of such equipment.

A further object of the invention is to provide appara tus which can be charged with a large quantity of metallic ferrules and which may be operated to dispense them, one at a time, or in groups of two or more, onto a reflector or lamp part surface as the surface is stopped at a work station of lamp making equipment.

To these ends, loading apparatus is provided to receive one or more nested stacks of ferrules which ferrules are dispensed one at a time, or in groups of two or more, in proper position with the sharp annular edge of the ferrule in engagement with the lamp reflector part. The apparatus moves into engagement with the reflector to deposit the ferrules on it as the reflector is indexed into position at a work station for a short time interval. Cooperating means on the reflector and apparatus will adjust or move the reflector slightly on its support so that the reflector is aligned with the apparatus and the ferrules thereby accurately located. The apparatus is constructed so that Fatented May 16, 1961 the ferrules at the ends of the stacks are released one by one onto the reflector. Release of the ferrules is controlled upon engagement of the apparatus with the reflector.

The subject matter of the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of this specification. Further objects and advantages of the invention will be better understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a portion of the reflector of a lamp envelope with the associated electrical contact ferrules in alignment for mounting on the reflector;

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation, partly in section, of a loading apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailed view showing the contact ferrules being loaded onto the reflector;

Fig. 4 is a view showing details of the ferrule-gripping mechanism; and

Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing the loading apparatus incorporated into lamp making equipment.

Referring to Fig. 1, an electric lamp envelope having a preformed reflector or backing portion it) of glass or vitreous material is illustrated and the reflector is provided with a plurality of integrally molded raised bosses 11. Each boss is formed with a recess 12 adapted to receive a hollow or cup-shaped ferrule 13 which forms part of the electrical contact structure of the lamp. Filament supporting lead wires (not shown) extend from the interior of the lamp envelope through holes in the bosses 11 into the interior of the ferrules i3 and are electrically connected thereto at a later stage in manufacture. Electrical contact lugs (not shown) are attached to the exterior of the ferrules later in order to make an electrical connection with the lamp. After the ferrules are seated in recesses 12, fires are brought to bear on the assembly at a later stage in manufacture to fuse the ferrules into the bosses thereby providing an airtight connection between the ferrules and the interior of the lamp envelope.

Each ferrule 13 is formed of stainless steel, or other metal having expansion characteristics substantially the same as that of the vitreous or glass reflector. Each ferrule is formed with a flared skirt 14 at one end giving a sharp annular edge for accurate positioning of the ferrule in the recesses 12 and for making an effective seal with the vitreous material. Each is provided with a projection 15 of reduced cross section on the opposite end to which electrical contact lugs are fastened. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the configuration of the ferrules 13 is such that they may be stacked one on top of the other in telescoped relationship with the flared portions 14 resting one on top of the other. In this way a large number of ferrules may be assembled and stacked in a small space with the flared skirt 14 providing a surface area for gripping each individual ferrule for handling and positioning on the reflector by loading apparatus of the instant invention.

Application of the loading apparatus to the lamp making process and equipment is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 5. The lamp parts or reflectors 10 are moved by a conveyor or turret having a moveable support 16 to a plurality of work stations A, B and C. The turret or conveyor forms no part of the present invention. A suitable turret is that illustrated in Patent No. 2,288,537 issued to F. J. Malloy on June 30, 1942, and assigned to the same assignee as the instant application. Loading apparatus 17, constructed in accordance with the instant invention, is shown at the work station B. It is mounted for movement downwardly into engagement with the reflector 10 to deposit contact ferrules onto the reflector.

Retraction of the apparatus away from the reflector permits indexing of the lamp making equipment to bring the next succeeding reflector or lamp part into position for loading. The loading apparatus is positioned on the reflector and operated in synchronism with movement of the turret or conveyor part 16 by means of a linkage including a pivoted bell crank lever 18, pull rod 19 and lever 20. One end of lever 20 is provided with a follower wheel 21 riding in a cam groove 22 on a cam 23 driven by a shaft 24 forming part of the turret or conveyor mechanism. Cam 23 rotates in synchronism with movement of the turret or conveyor so that after a reflector is indexed into position B the linkage operates to move the ferrule loading mechanism into engagement with the reflector for dispensing of ferrules.

Referring to Fig. 2, the loading apparatus is provided with a generally rectangular member in the form of a frame 25 suspended from a rod 26, the frame being moved toward and away from the reflector. The rod is movable vertically in spaced bearings 27 and 28 formed in a supporting bracket 29 extending from a base 30 secured to part of the lamp making equipment (not shown). To provide for movement of frame 25 in synchronism with movement of the reflector to a work station, a collar 31 having a flange 32 is suitably fastened-as by pins 33 to the suspension rod 26. Collar 31 rests on bearing pads 34 carried by shafts 35 pinned to the bifurcated ends of bell crank lever 18, respectively. Collar 31 and suspension rod 26 are not fastened to the shafts 35. To move frame 25 away from the reflector lamp part, the bifurcated end of bell crank lever 18 is moved upwardly in the showing of Fig. 2 to elevate shafts 35 and the pads 34. Since flange 32 rests on the pads, collar 31, the suspension rod 26 and frame 25 are likewise elevated away from the vitreous reflector. To move frame 25 toward the reflector lamp part, the bell crank lever 18 and pads 34 are lowered. Weight of the frame 25 and its associated mechanism causes the collar 31 to follow such downward movement of the pads until movement of frame 25 is halted by engagement with the reflector. In this way the frame is moved into position such that ferrules may be placed on the reflector. However, it will be seen that pads 34, the bifurcated end of bell crank lever 13 and shafts 35 may continue their downward movement away from the flange 32 on the sleeve 31 to trigger the ferrule releasing mechanism in a manner to be described later. From one viewpoint, the frame 25 and associated mechanism is permitted to lower itself by gravity onto the comparatively fragile vitreous reflector leaving the remainder of the apparatus being driven by the cam and linkage to over-travel as movement of the frame is stopped by engagement with the reflector so as to protect the reflector from damage or fracture. Ferrule handling mechanism within frame 25, and which moves up and down with the frame, includes hollow tubular members 36 threaded into a supporting partition or web 37 spaced across frame 25 The lower end of each hollow member or tube 36 is slit lengthwise at several places, as indicated at 38, to form a plurality of gripping elements or splines 39 for gripping the end ferrule 13 in a nested stack of ferrules positioned within the hollow member 36. A collet sleeve 40 surrounds the splined ends of each hollow member 36; it is formed at one end with a flange 41 forming a bearing surface for a compression spring 42 and at the other end with an interior tapered surface 43 which engages a complimentary exterior tapered surface 44 formed on the end of each spline 39. One of the springs 42 is assembled around each tube 36 and is compressed between partition 37 and the flanges 41 of the collet sleeves. The compression spring forces the collet 40 to move along the length of the hollow member 36 so that the interengaging tapered surfaces 43 and 44 force the splines 39 inwardly into engagement with the ferrule at the end of the stack.

In normal position, then, the splines are forced inwardly by spring pressure to grip the lowermost ferrule to maintain the stack of ferrules within the loading apparatus.

To release a ferrule from the grip of the splines, the collet sleeve 40 must be moved upwardly against its corresponding spring 42 thereby permitting splines 39 to expand to drop the lowermost ferrule by gravity. To move collet sleeve 40, a plate member 45 is provided with a plurality of openings such that it surrounds each of the collet sleeves 4t) and is provided with a flange 46 engaging the corresponding flanges 41 in the collet sleeves to move and release the collets upon upward movement of the plate from the position shown by Fig. 2 to that shown by Fig. 3. Plate 45 is moved upwardly against the action of the collet springs by levers 47 mounted on opposite sides of the frame. The levers 47 are mounted in recesses 43 set in the side walls of the frame on pins 49. The inner end of each lever carries a roller 50 for engaging the flange 46 of the movable plate 45; the outer end is provided with a roller 51 for engaging an operating member or push rod 52. Operation of push rod 52 is attained by downward movement of the aforementioned bell crank lever 18 operating in synchronism with the lamp making equipment.

Movement of each of the rods 52 is facilitated by mounting in spaced guide sleeves 53 carried on opposite sides of frame 25 thereby providing for accurate parallel movement of the rods relative to frame 25. In its upper end each rod 52 is provided with an adjustable slotted bearing member 54 for receiving pivot pin 55 and connecting rod 56. Connecting rods 56 are threaded for adjustment in sleeves 57 pivotally mounted on opposite ends of shaft 35.

Once frame 25 has been moved downwardly into contact with the top of the reflector, continued downward movement of the bifurcated end of bell crank lever 18 and shafts 35 moves the push rods 52 downwardly to rotate levers 47 to the position shown by Fig. 3. Plate member 45 is thereby moved along the collet sleeves 40 to move them against the actions of springs 42 to release the tapered, splined ends of members 36 from engagement with the ferrules at the ends of the stacks. When released, the lowermost ferrules drop down into the recesses 12 in the reflector by the action of gravity and the weight of the superimposed stack of ferrules.

As the cycle of operation is continued by rotation of cam 23 of the lamp making equipment, shafts 35 are raised by lever 18 so that the push rods 52 are elevated to remove pressure from the levers 47. This means that the compression springs 42 will return the collet sleeves to the initial position such that the ends of the splines grip the flared skirt 14 of the next ferrule in the stack. The lowermost ferrule is left free in position on the reflector. Upon continued upward movement of shafts 35, the flange 32 on sleeve 31 engages the pads 34 thereby elevating frame 25 and the mechanism mounted on it. The entire stack of ferrules in tubular member 36 is likewise raised slightly and moved above the reflector and deposited ferrules to permit index of the reflector to the next station.

Fig. 4 further illustrates in an enlarged view the manner in which the series of stacked ferrules are housed within the hollow member 36 with the lowermost ferrule being held in position. The end of each spline 39 is provided with an inwardly extending projection 58 which has a height substantially that of the flared skirt 14 on the ferrules and extends inwardly a distance somewhat greater than the thickness of the metal in the ferrules. The arrangement is such that as the splines 39 are forced inwardly by the action of collet sleeve 40 only these projecting portions 58 on the spline engage the stack of ferrules and the engagement is only with the single ferrule at the end of the stack. The next ferrule in the stack rests on the lowermost ferrule. But the weight of the stack is not suflicient to push the lowermost ferrule out of engagement with the spline projections 58. Since the splines engage the ferrule entirely around the circumference of the skirt 14, the ferrule may be gripped firmly without danger of crushing or deforming it. The arrangement makes it possible to dispense ferrules from the open end of the mechanism one at a time to prevent any improper build-up of several ferrules within the bosses 11 on the back of the reflector.

To feed stacked ferrules to the hollow members 36, a plurality of chutes 59 are mounted on base 30 by means of a capping plate 60. Chutes 59, which are fixed in position on the plate, may extend in any direction out from beyond the confines of the open frame 25 and provide means for supporting a long column of stacked ferrules. Inasmuch as frame 25 carrying the hollow members 36 is being moved continually up and down with respect to base 30, a slidable and extendable connection is provided between the chutes and the hollow ferrule receiving tubes 36. To this end, the end of chute 59 is formed with a plurality of elongated spaced fingers 61 which extend into an opening 62 in base 30 and which are intermeshed with corresponding fingers 63 extending from tubes 64 threaded onto the ends of the hollow members 36. The fingers 63 likewise extend into the corresponding opening 62 in base 30. As the frame 25 which carries hollow members 36 and fingers 63 moves up and down with respect to base 30, fingers 63 slide in the corresponding opening 62 but remain interleaved with fingers 61 thereby providing a continuous path of uniform diameter for movement of the ferrules down the chutes 59 through tubes 64 and into hollow members 36. Inasmuch as the lowermost ferrule is gripped by the splines 39, the entire overlying stack of nested ferrules is moved up and down within its corresponding passageway as the frame 25 moves up and down. The effect is to shake the ferrules free and prevent them from binding. This means that the stacks of ferrules move by gravity freely through the passageways to insure constant, trouble-free feed of the ferrules. With this arrangement the rectangular frame 25 and the mechanism carried by it, are free to move relative to the fixed chutes 59 and base 30 into and out of engagement with the reflector surface. Inasmuch as the tubes 64 and chutes 59, as well as a portion of the base member 30, are located within the confines of the rectangular frame 25, a very compact arrangement is provided making it possible to incorporate the loading apparatus on the turret of lamp making equipment.

In positioning the ferrules onto the back of the reflector 10, it is important that the ferrules be accurately centered with respect to the recesses 12 and the bosses 11 prior to the time interval at which the ferrules are dropped onto the reflector surface. To this end, frame 25 is provided at its lower end with a centering die or head 65 which surrounds the exposed ends of the splines 39 and which is provided with a recessed bearing surface 66 conforming to the exterior contours of the bosses 11. This means that as the frame 25 is lowered onto the reflector, the reflector may be shifted slightly on its support 16 so as to be positioned accurately by engagement of the bosses with the centering die. This insures that the ferrules 13 will be dropped into recesses 12 and not onto the upper surfaces of the bosses 11.

The invention provides a loading apparatus for accurately positioning ferrules on reflector bases at high speeds as the reflector portion of the lamp is indexed from one work station to the next during manufacture. Even though the stack of ferrules present a succession of sharp edges formed by the flared portions 14, the arrangement is such that the stacks of ferrules flow smoothly from chutes 59, through telescoping fingers 61 and 63 to the hollow members 36 where they are dispensed one at a time onto the reflector surface in the manner already described.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for placing ferrules on vitreous lamp parts comprising means for moving the parts along a path to a plurality of work stations, a supporting frame at one of the work stations movable toward and away from the lamp part, a hollow splined member carried by said frame for receiving a plurality of stacked ferrules, a movable collet sleeve surrounding the splines of said member to move the splines into and out of engagement with the lowermost ferrule in the stack, means including an actuating member movable with respect to said frame for moving said collet sleeve, and means for moving said frame into engagement with a lamp part at one of the work stations and for moving said actuating member relative to said frame to deposit a ferrule on the lamp part.

2. Apparatus for placing ferrules on lamp parts comprising, in combination, a supporting frame, means for moving said frame into engagement with and away from the lamp part, a hollow splined member carried by said frame for receiving a ferrule within the member, a collet sleeve surrounding the splines of said member and being movable along the member to flex the splines, spring means biasing said collet sleeve along said member to flex the splines into engagement with the ferrule, an element slidable on said collet sleeve, a lever pivotally mounted on said frame, one end of said lever engaging said element to move it against said collet sleeve and the action of said spring means to release the splines from engagement with the ferrule, and a member carried by and movable with respect to said frame for engaging the other end of said lever to move it to deposit the ferrule on the lamp part.

3. Apparatus for placing ferrules on lamp parts comprising, in combination, a supporting frame, a hollow splined member carried by said frame for receiving a ferrule within the member, a collet sleeve surrounding the splines and being movable along said member, spring means biasing said collet sleeve along said member to flex the splines into engagement with the ferrule, an element slidable on said collet sleeve, a lever pivotally mounted on said frame, one end of said lever engaging said element to move it against said collet sleeve and the action of said spring biasing means to release the splines from engagement with the ferrule, a rod carried by and movable with respect to said frame for engaging the other end of said lever, and means for moving said frame into engagement With the lamp part and for moving said rod relative to said frame to release the gripped ferrule onto the lamp part.

4. Apparatus for placing ferrules on lamp parts comprising, in combination, a supporting frame, a plurality of hollow splined members carried by said frame for receiving a ferrule within each member, a collet sleeve surrounding the splines of each member and being movable along the member, spring means biasing said collet sleeves along said members to flex the splines of the members into engagement with the corresponding ferrule, an element slidable on said collet sleeves, a lever pivotally mounted on said frame, one end of said lever engaging said element to move it against said collet sleeves and the actions of said spring means to release the splines from engagement with the corresponding ferrules, a connecting member carried by and movable with respect to said frame for engaging the other end of said lever and means for moving said frame into engagement with the lamp part and for moving said connecting member relative to said frame to release the gripped ferrules onto the lamp part.

5. Apparatus for placing a plurality of elements on lamp parts comprising, in combination, a base member, a supporting frame movable on said base member, a plurality of chutes carried by the base member for holding stacks of the elements, a plurality of hollow members carried by said frame and having sliding alignment with said chutes for receiving stacked elements from the chutes, means carried by each of said hollow members for gripping the element at the end of the stack within the corresponding member, means for moving said supporting frame on said base member into engagement with the lamp part and means actuated upon engagement of the frame with the lamp part to operate the gripping means to release an element onto the lamp part.

6. Apparatus for placing a plurality of ferrules on lamp parts comprising, in combination, a base member, a supporting frame movable on said base member, a plurality of chutes carried by the base member for holding stacks of the ferrules, a plurality of hollow splined members carried by said frame, said members being in sliding engagement with said chutes for receiving stacked elements from the chutes, collet sleeves surrounding the splines of the respective hollow members and being movable along the members, spring means biasing each collet sleeve along its respective member to flex the splines into engagement with a corresponding ferrule within the memher, a plate member mounted for sliding movement on said collet sleeve to move them simultaneously against the actions of said spring means to release the splines from engagement with the ferrules, and means for mov ing said plate member as the supporting frame is moved into engagement with the lamp part.

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